


Day 242

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [242]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:13:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26203993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [242]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 242

Nalanna was starting to lose track of the days she had been in the cell. The templars brought her food and collected her waste but otherwise refused to acknowledge her. The first day she had screamed herself horse trying to get someone to talk to her but she had only had her own urine tossed back over her by way of response. She had had to use some of her drinking water to clean herself that day.

She almost didn’t know how to respond when, finally, the door to her cell swung open.

“Come with me,” said the woman. The same one who had captured her, Ruvena.

“Where are we going?” Nelanna croaked.

“Maybe you didn’t hear me,” Ruvena said, grabbing Nelanna by the hair and pulling her out of the cell. “Move!”

Nelanna instinctively reached for her magic and earned a kick in the ribs.

“Try it again and I’ll stick you,” Ruvena snapped. Nelanna wumpered, she was pretty sure one of her ribs had cracked. She followed the templars as quickly as she could.

“God you stink knife-ears,” one of the other templars said. It had been a long while since she had heard that particular insult. She caught sight of another elf in a cell a few down from hers. He didn’t say anything but Nalanna caught sight of a dwarven casteless tattoo on his face. There was a story there but Nalanna hoped she wouldn’t be in the circle long enough to hear it. The Ostwick circle had never been this bad.

They ended us in a small room packed with templars. Her hands were bound to opposite walls, and her feet were tied together. She could not move, but after so long on almost no rations she barely had any energy to do much anyway. It was an effort just to remain standing but if she relaxed too much the shackles on her arms dug into her wrists painfully.

There was a pool of lyrium sitting over a fire; next to it was a sunburst branding iron. Nalanna knew what that meant: they planned to make her tranquil. If she became a docile obedient servant, she might give up her mission to report to the Wardens about Janeka. That thought scared her more than losing her mind right now. The fate that she had joined the Warden’s to avoid, now awaited her anyway and all she could do was lament her duty.

Meredith herself entered the room, holding an unsealed letter. She came to stand in front of Nalanna while Ruvena prepared the brand.

“Nalanna, no surname given,” Meredith read out. “Upon your request, we have sent word to the Wardens, asking about you. Well, we have received their reply and they have no records of you. I do not know what you hoped to gain by your deception but it has failed.”

Meredith paused here to check on Ruvena who gave her commander a salute. Meredith returned the gesture and continued to address Nalanna.

“For the murder of templar knight Hector as well as multiple dwarven citizens we delare you be meleficarum and sentence you to tranquility. May you become an asset to your community, rather than a menace.”

One of the other templates coughed noevously. Meredith glanced his way and sighed.

“If you have anything to say in your defence, now is the time,” Meredith said Nalanna remained silent. Rescue from the Wardens had been her only chance. The silence dragged on for an eternity before Meredith stepped to the side to allow Ruvena to approach with the brand.

Nalanna felt a spike of fear, a flash of white hot pain before everything faded to darkness.

She woke, still chained to the wall. There was discomfort in her wrists and she stood to relieve it. There were many pressing needs that she assessed in herself, but it was not immediately clear what was most pressing. She needed food, to report on Janeka to the Wardens, something to drink and she was in a state of severe uncleanliness. There were all manner of ailments that could result from being dirty so she concluded cleaning herself to be the most acute need.

She looked to the templars, the ones with the power to relieve her distress.

“I require a bath and some fresh clothes,” she said.

“Of course,” said the Knight Commander. “Follow me, I will see that you have everything you require to be comfortable.”

Nalanna knew it would be unwise to tell the Knight Commander that she still intended to leave the Circle and return to the Wardens. It would take time to prepare her escape, but the fate of the Wardens rested with her.


End file.
